The Timber Creek High School marching band comes back from a pandemic and two years of hiatus
By: Minjee (Jamie) Kim
High school marching bands all around the country were faced with a daunting task in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic: reviving their programs from two years of inactivity, a significant drop in recruitment, more than half their band having no prior marching experience before, and a group of upperclassmen leadership that were largely unprepared due to being underclassmen their last season. The Timber Creek High School marching band, otherwise known as the Timber Creek Regiment, was faced with this reality as soon as schools opened back up in the summer of 2021. The Regiment was faced with the impossible task of dragging their marching band out of the ditch that it had found itself in. Not only that, but this year they were set to go to the Florida Marching Band Championships (FMBC).
Newfound leaders felt this pressure especially. “It was really intimidating,” said Senior Jaedon Wilson, woodwind captain and second chair clarinet in the school’s top band. “I remember seeing the position that I was given, and while I was excited, I was really nervous. I was only a sophomore when the pandemic hit, and all of a sudden I was thrown into one of the highest positions that could be given in leadership, both as a senior and a woodwind captain.” But this strange mixture of fear, apprehension, and anxiety did not so much as stop the Regiment from plowing forward. Every student in the band, upperclassmen and underclassmen, leadership and beginners, took their roles with a firm hand and continued on.
Being a part of the band is a time consuming responsibility, with the season being six months long when the band has an FMBC year. There is the combination of band camp, a grueling full two weeks of rehearsal where they rehearse every week day, hours that range from eight to twelve hours of rehearsal during the summer, and the addition of three hours each of after school rehearsals taking up to three to five days a week. Even during a normal season, these tasks are difficult, but the band rose beyond all expectations. “The freshmen and sophomores all deserve praise for putting in the dedication despite it being their first year,” said Wilson. “They’re a huge part as to why we got to where we are. I’m really proud of them, and I think the Regiment is in good hands for the future.”
And after six months of rehearsals, half-time performances, two competitions, a second place achievement at Orlando’s Bands of America Regional competition, and a whole lot of water, the day of FMBC arrived. On Sunday, November 21, the band did two last performances of their show: their preliminary and finals performances. Having swept the two of the three main captions in their 5A class for their finals run (General Effect and Visual), the Timber Creek Regiment came out with their fourth State Championship win in their twenty one years of history with a score of 93.85.
“When they read out our score, I could hear the breath that went out through the whole band. Our parents were going insane in the stands. It was crazy,” said Junior Brie Alvarez, bassoon player in the concert setting and tenor saxophone on the marching field. “I’m really, really proud of how far we’ve come as a band, because quite frankly, we were pretty atrocious the first time we marched together. But here we are in six months. We got our band our fourth win.”
Everyone in the Timber Creek High School marching band worked tirelessly to get this win, even despite all the obstacles that tried to keep them from doing so. With this win under their belt, the future seasons for the Regiment looks bright.